Beer · Light & sessionable
Pilsner
Crisp, golden, perfect. The hardest beer to brew and the easiest to drink.
How to order it: Czech for soft and round, German for snappy and dry.
Flavor profile
The proper serve
- Tall pilsner glass
- Serve cold, 40–45°F
- Pour for a two-finger head
- Pairs: pretzels, sausage, everything
- Czech soft vs German snap
The story
In 1838, the burghers of Pilsen, Bohemia, dumped barrels of spoiled ale in the town square and resolved to do better. They built a new brewery and hired a Bavarian brewer, Josef Groll, who in 1842 combined pale malt, fragrant Saaz hops, lager yeast, and the city's remarkably soft water into the first golden lager the world had seen. Pilsner Urquell — 'original source' — still makes it. The style spread with railways and refrigeration until it became, in diluted form, the default beer of planet Earth; the vast majority of beer drunk today is its descendant. Brewers will tell you it remains the hardest style to brew well. Nowhere to hide.
Adjacent pours